Tough As Nails
by Xxx-Aka-Ketsueki-xxX
Summary: While on a mission with Naruto Uzumaki, Anko crosses paths with someone who can relate to her past more than anyone she knows. However, the collision of two tough and brash personalities can either result in friendship, or hatred.
1. Chapter 1

Somewhere, in a forest not too far from Konoha, a purple-haired Jounin, and a blonde-haired Genin could be heard talking amongst themselves.

"You're so lying."

"Am not!" Naruto protested, "I learned the Kage-Bunshin technique in one day, what's so hard to believe about that?!"

Anko's brow twitched, and she looked at him with a mean grin, "Because you're a small fried brat. It took me a week to learn a technique like that, and I was a Chuunin at the time."

"Who are you calling small-fried?! I'm taller than you!"

"I meant you're a small fry when it comes to your skills."

Naruto growled, "Okay, that's it! You wanna prove it?!"

Anko grinned at his challenge, "As much fun as it would be to prove you wrong, no. We're on a mission, remember? And stop yelling, it's annoying and it could attract attention."

"So what, it's a simple C-rank mission. And we already completed our assignment. So why not back up that big mouth of yours, and fight me?" Naruto grinned, "Unless you're scared."

Anko chuckled evilly as it was becoming a challenge not to entertain Naruto's ignorance, "Listen, kid. You're just a snot-nosed Genin, and I'm an elite Jounin almost twice your age." She peeked at him through the corners of her eyes, "You better know your place before it gets you hurt."

Naruto crossed his arms and stopped walking, even as Anko continued, "I knew you were a wuss. You just wanna prevent the embarrassment of getting your ass kicked by a Genin." He says, grinning.

Anko stopped walking.

She turned her head, "...You really wanna fight me, huh Naruto?"

Naruto nodded, "Yeah, I kinda do."

The Tokubetsu Jounin gave a small snort. Not a second later, Naruto found himself holding her fist that was aimed for his face. Now, he was face to face with her, both of them sharing the same smirk.

No words were spoken as Anko grasped the wrist of the hand holding her fist with her other hand, and began to spin Naruto with her strength. She released him, toward a nearby tree, the inertia forcing him to start running toward it. Naruto jumped and spun, planting his feet against the tree, then leaped off of it, holding his fist out toward his partner. Anko grinned and maneuvered herself to grab Naruto's arm, and slammed him flat on his back onto the forest floor. The blonde coughed as all the air was stolen from his lungs.

Anko placed a foot atop of his chest, grinning down at him, "Is that really all you got? I knew you were all talk, but geez." She mocked. Naruto grinned and pointed up toward the large tree he leaped off of, which was now about to fall onto him and Anko. Anko gasped in surprise, and performed a few gymnastic-like back-flips to move herself out of harm's way. Naruto barrel-rolled himself to safety, the tree just missing him by a few inches.

The wood crashed loudly as it hit the ground, forcing small birds within the area to fly away in fear. Just as the dirt and dust settled, Anko landed on her feet, but barely had any time to block an incoming attack from Naruto from up above. She held his fist and grinned once he landed.

"Using chakra to break the tree with your feet... Not only is that kinda smart, but it takes quite some power to break a thick tree like that."

Naruto chuckled, "So do you take back what you said?"

"No," Anko teased, "Still kind of ameteur-ish." She then unexpectedly swept his feet from below him, and spun him again. This time, she tossed him into a cave a few meters away, and watched as he rolled deep into it's shadows.

She places a hand on her hip and dusts herself off, "Let's hope there's no bear in there."

A minute or two pass by, and Naruto hasn't exited the cave. Just as Anko was about to go in and check on him, "A-Anko-sensei! Come here!"

Anko starts walking toward the cave, "Don't tell me you can't handle a bear. You're a shinobi for crying out l-"

"No, just come here, quick!" Naruto exclaims. Anko soon enters the cavern and sees Naruto kneeling beside someone.

He looks over his shoulder at her, barely able to see her due to the darkness, "It's this girl... She really seems hurt." He said. Anko looked past Naruto and can see a figure with what she thinks is red hair squirming on her back. It's too hard for her to be sure, with the lack of light.

"Bring her outside, it's too dark in here."

"I can't," said Naruto, "She says it hurts to even move."

Anko walks up to the squirming woman and can hear her breathing raggedly through her teeth, "Listen, I don't know who you are, but if you want us to help you, we need to get you out this cave." Anko says. The woman replies non-verbally by sucking her teeth in protest.

"F-Fine..." She manages to groan out. Anko squats and scoops her into her arms bridal style, despite the other female's outburst of pain. Anko carried her outside and into the sunlight with Naruto following. She carefully placed her back onto the ground and got a better look at her.

Her hair was indeed a deep red color, she confirmed. Her face was twisted into a suffering expression, as she clenched at her left collarbone. She wasn't ugly, Anko and Naruto thought, but she had a few scratches and dirt marks over her skin, wherever her shirt and pants didn't cover. Anko didn't spot a hitai-ate on her, and she seemed harmless in the state she was in.

"F-Fuck...!" The girl growled, her eyes shut in pain.

"What's wrong with you? What happened?" Asked Anko. The girl managed to crack her eyes open enough to look at her.

"It's... my shoulder..." She replied. Anko glimpsed at the area she was holding again.

"What about it? Did you injure it?" Naruto asked.

"N-No, I don't know what the fuck is wrong with it...!" She growled, "It... just burns like all Hell...! And it feels like the pain is spreading all over my body...!"

The girl then coughed, and a wad of blood shot from her mouth.

"Can you sit up?" Anko asked. The woman looked at her with a glare, signifying that sitting up was a task that wouldn't be easy for her, "We need to see what's wrong with it."

Anko and Naruto assisted her in her task of getting her torso off the ground, "Now can you move your hand?" Anko requested, looking at her collarbone that she was holding. The girl hesitated like she wanted to protest, but did as she was told.

What Anko saw once she moved her shirt out of the way made her eyebrows raise in surprise.

"The... Curse Seal." She mumbled, rubbing over her own collarbone unconsciously. She saw the seal glowing red, like it was about to activate.

Anko had a lot of questions, "...Who are you? Who gave you that seal?"

Tayuya almost bit her tongue, "Is that really important right now?"

"Yes." Anko said firmly.

Tayuya sighed despite the pain she was in and glimpsed at their headbands, "Konoha-nin... Hmph. You guys would kill me if I told you."

Naruto looked at Anko, then back at her, "You don't seem dangerous right now, and you look like you're really hurt, so we won't do that."

"Or at least not yet." Anko added, crossing her arms. "Talk."

Tayuya managed a small chuckle, "M-My name is Tayuya. And I'm sure you know who Orochimaru is. He was the one that gave me this fucking seal..."

Naruto and Anko scowled at her, "So you work for Orochimaru?" Naruto assumed.

Tayuya shook her head, "Not anymore. I haven't seen or heard from the bastard in over three years." She then groans and clamps a hand over the seal, "God dammit, this thing is killing me..."

Anko studied her carefully, "...How long have you been working under him?"

Tayuya sneered, "What is this, a fuckin' interview? What's with all the questions?"

Anko gave her a glare, "If you're hoping for us to help you, let alone spare you, I suggest you answer our questions."

The ex-sound nin grumbled, "I've worked under him for around four years. And if you're wondering, no, I have no more connections with him, and I don't have any hopes in dealing with him again. Working for him was torture."

"So he abandoned you. Or did you abandon him?" Anko asked.

"Kind of both. I was presumably dead. But I never went back looking after him."

The redhead coughed again, and a bigger wad of blood was seen, "Ugh, shit... So are you guys going to help me or not?"

"... I think we should help her." Naruto said as he and Anko were making their minds up.

"Why should we?" Anko said a bit bitterly.

"Because, she's in a lot of pain and she's defenseless. She may have worked for Orochimaru before, but that was three years ago. Besides, if we can bring her back to Konoha, maybe we can find out more information on Orochimaru himself."

Anko thought for a second, "But what if this is all an act? You and I both know that Orochimaru is very sneaky. How do you know she isn't lying, and this isn't some kind of trap?"

Naruto looked at Tayuya, "... She's not lying."

"How can you tell?"

"Because... I don't know. I can sort of just... feel it." He said, "Besides, don't you work with that big scary guy interrogating people all the time? I'm sure you can tell that she's not lying, too."

Anko sneered, "Fine. But I'm not dropping my guard for a second." She looked back at Tayuya, "Now how long have you been like this?"

"You mean before or after you guys spent the last ten minutes asking me useless questions?" She replied rudely.

Anko sent a hardened glare her way.

Tayuya cleared her throat, "Just kidding. The Curse Seal has been like this around twenty minutes before blonde-boy here bumped into me in that cave."

Anko narrowed her eyes, "...You wouldn't happen to be activating it by any chance, right?"

Tayuya shook her head, "My chakra coils are pretty fucked up right now. If I tried to activate it, I can tell that something might go horribly wrong. And I told you, I despise Orochimaru. I don't know if that fucker will find me if I tried using it."

"So do you have any idea what might be wrong with it?" Naruto asked.

"If I knew, I would have told you by now." She said.

Anko stared at her in thought, "Well neither of us are Medic-nin, so we can't really do much. We could bring you to Konoha and have them look at you. We're close by to it, anyway."

Tayuya struggled to stand up, "Do whatever you have to do, just help me with this piece of shit seal, it's fucking killing me..."

Anko nodded, "I'm sure you can't walk right now. Naruto, carry her."

"Hey, why do I have to carry her?"

"Because I'm a Jounin, you're a Genin, and I told you to do it. Besides, be a gentleman and sweep her off her feet."

Naruto blushed, then looked at Tayuya.

She sent him a glare, "Just don't touch me anywhere inappropriate, pervert. I saw you looking at my tits earlier."

"What! I never-!"

"Save it." Tayuya said, "Just get me to Konoha."

* * *

Things were quiet for the first few minutes of Anko, Naruto, and Tayuya heading through the trees, to Konoha. Occasionally, Tayuya would give an outburst of pain while Naruto carried her on his back. Anko still had her doubts, and made sure to be ready to use her kunai at any given moment, if need be.

Naruto staggered as he hopped onto another tree branch. Anko quickly looked back, and placed a hand on her kunai holster.

"T-Tayuya, you're kinda choking me..." Naruto mumbled, patting the arm that was around his neck.

Tayuya bit her tongue as she loosened her grip, "My bad... This fucking seal is killing me..."

Anko huffed and slowly turned her head back. She was still very skeptical.

Things were quiet for a few more minutes until the foul-mouthed red head spoke up, "So... What were you guys doing that got blonde boy here tossed in that cave?"

Naruto was about to answer, until Anko spoke up first, "Listen, we're not allies. The only reason we're helping you is because Naruto has a soft heart. Therefore, we have no liability to tell you anything, or give you any reason to believe that we trust you even for a second."

_"Well, considering how I'm on this kid's back, with an arm around his windpipe shows that you trust me to some extent."_ Tayuya wisely chose not to vocalize, "Geez, it was just a question. I feel as though you're treating me like I'm a prisoner."

"That's basically what you are." Anko spat, "As soon as you get to Konoha, we'll try to treat the condition of your Curse Seal, then you're going into interrogation right after."

"Sounds wonderful." Was Tayuya's sarcastic reply. "So I'm assuming that I no longer have a choice in this."

"Nope. You can try to run right now if you want. But you will either be wounded even more, or dead. So pick the option that will benefit us all and save us a lot more time and energy."

"I never planned on running." She says, "I'm weak as shit right now. I haven't eaten in three days, and my chakra's pretty damn low. If anything, I'll gladly be a prisoner, that way I can be treated, and get a bite to eat."

"That brings me to my next question." Says Anko, "How did you end up in that cave yourself? And why haven't you eaten in three days?"

"Again with the questions..." She mumbled, "Ever since I presumably died, I've been living on my own. For the first two years, this weird but kind old man took me into his home and looked out for me; gave me a place to sleep, fed me, all that jazz. Then, bandits came one night, and robbed and killed him. They then caught me off guard and captured me, taking me back to their hideout. Then they raped me."

Naruto flinched once he heard this.

"It was hell, worse than working under Orochimaru. But one night, I managed to escape, and killed all the dick-less fuckers that laid even the slightest finger on me. After that, I was on my own again. I don't know my way around Fire Country, so I've just been scavenging for things like clothes, food, and a place to sleep. For that whole year, I've done things I wasn't proud of just to survive. I managed to survive all that time, even though I suffer from all the nightmares I get every day. Then, one rainy night, I decided to kill off a bear and take it's cave to sleep in. I woke up in excruciating pain the next morning, and not twenty minutes later, I run into you guys."

Anko looked at her through the corner of her eye. Her story explained every scar and bruise she currently had on her body.

She still didn't trust Tayuya the slightest bit. But she gained quite a bit of respect for her.

"I see." Was all Anko decided to respond with.

"There's a lot more to the story, but that just about sums it up." Tayuya added.

"That's... horrible." Naruto mumbled.

"Yeah, no shit." Replies Tayuya, "But I did what I had to do, and I'm proud that I made it at least this far. I have and will try my hardest to survive under any circumstances, because I refuse to go out without a fight."

"...I respect that." Said Anko.

"Me too." Naruto said. "You have a lot of heart, Tayuya."

"Thanks." Tayuya said.

* * *

A few more minutes passed, and they finally arrived at the gates of Konoha.

"So this is Konoha. I haven't been here since-" She mumbles before cutting herself off, "Never mind."

Anko cut her eyes at her, but decides to say nothing.

"So now what? Do we take her to the hospital, or to Baa-chan?" Naruto asks Anko.

"We should take her to the Hokage before we do anything with her. Besides, we have to tell her everything that occurred on our mission." She said. Naruto nodded and continued carrying Tayuya, walking with Anko to the Hokage tower.

"...Who the fuck is Baa-chan?" Tayuya said, after some hard thought.

Naruto gave a small chuckle, "That's what I call the Hokage."

Tayuya looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "...The Hokage is your grandmother?"

Naruto shook his head, "Nah, but she's old like one." He said with a grin.

"...So the new Hokage is a woman?" She asked.

"Wow, you have been living under a rock lately." Anko said, "Yes, the position of Godaime Hokage belongs to a woman named Tsunade."

"Of the Sannin?" Tayuya asked incredulously.

"So you've heard of her."

"Of course," The redhead replied, "After serving under Orochimaru, how could I not?"

Anko looked around, then looked back at her, "You may want to be careful of what you say around here. Not a lot of people will take your past too lightly."

Tayuya said nothing further.

Once they've reached the Hokage tower, Anko knocked on her door before entering with Tsunade's approval.

Tsunade was talking to Shizune, until she spotted Naruto and Anko, along with someone she wasn't familiar with.

She never was the type to beat around the bush, "Who is that?"

Anko made the first attempt to explain, "This is Tayuya. We found her upon returning from our completed mission."

Tsunade rose an eyebrow and crossed her arms, "Is there any reason why you've decided to bring her to Konoha?"

Anko nodded, "Yes. We found her in a lot of pain, and upon analyzing her, we saw that she was suffering from the effects of a Curse Mark." Tsunade showed interest in hearing this, "We learned that she worked for Orochimaru three years ago, but was presumed dead and has departed from Orochimaru's service. We've decided to bring her to you, in hopes of retrieving any intel about Orochimaru that she may currently have."

Throughout Anko's explanation, Tsunade was simply analyzing Tayuya harshly, which honestly made her feel uncomfortable.

"...I see." Tsunade mumbles, "But has it occurred to you two that it could have possibly been a trap? That maybe she was lying about everything she said?" She said with narrowed eyes.

Anko cleared her throat, "Yes, Hokage-sama, and I was going to simply avoid getting involved with her, but Naruto strongly suggested that we help her."

Tsunade's eyes then shifted to the other blonde in the room. Naruto saw this and became nervous.

He glared at Anko, "H-Hey, you just totally ratted me out!" He said.

"I'm just telling the truth." Anko shot back with enough of a glare to keep her posture in front of the Hokage.

"Naruto, explain. Why did you decide that helping her would be a good idea?" The Godaime asked just as Naruto sent another glare Anko's way.

"Um, well, look at her! She was in a lot of pain when we saw her. And she looks terrible. Her hair is messed up, her clothes are dirty and torn, she has cuts and bruises everywhere, not to mention her breath, and-"

"Hey, watch it." Tayuya grumbled in his ear.

"Uh, the point is that I didn't feel it would be right to leave her there like that. I don't think she has lied about anything she told us, and I do believe that maybe we can get some intel on Orochimaru through her." He explains.

Tsunade stares at him and sighs, "Naruto, it's good that you have a good heart, but this is a village of shinobi, not caretakers. And it would be gullible to believe anything anyone you don't know tells you, especially if she worked for Orochimaru. Even if it turns out that she was honest about everything, how do you know that anything she knows about Orochimaru isn't old news? Three years is a lot of time, Naruto, and it's possible that we now know more about him than she does."

Naruto realizes that she has some good points.

The room was quiet until Anko spoke up, "So what do you say we do with her, Hokage-sama?"

Before Tsunade gave a reply, Tayuya cleared her throat.

"With all due respect, Hokage-sama, hope you understand that I no longer wish to serve under Orochimaru. Everything I've told these two were true. Working under him was torture, and now I wish to live an easy life. I'll gladly tell you everything I know about Orochimaru. I hate the bastard just as much as you guys probably do."

The room fell quiet again after Tayuya finished. Anko, Naruto, and Shizune all anticipated how Tsunade would react to Tayuya speaking to her without being directly addressed to.

Tsunade simply stared at her, looking her over as she thought to herself..

"...As leader of an entire village, I have to make the safest decisions in order to keep my village from harm. We have no liability to trust anything you say. You have a Curse Mark, which means that you've served under one of Konoha's top enemies, and we have no actual proof to believe that you no longer do. You can be leading us into a trap, after all." Tsunade took a breath, "However... Naruto means a lot to me. And as gullible as he may look, he's a very smart and trustworthy shinobi. So if he's willing to vouch for you, that means something. I've dealt with lies and deception for many years, and you do seem sincere... So, I'll let you stay here under the supervision of these two, for now at least."

Tayuya smiled. For once in quite a few years, she heard some good news that made her genuinely smile.

"But, I will still have to keep you restrained in some shape, way, or form, Tayuya. I will have chakra seals placed on you as soon as possible. I'll personally take a look at your Curse Seal and see what's wrong with it, and after that, you'll either go to me, Anko, or the captain of our T&I department to tell us everything you know about Orochimaru. Are we clear?"

Tayuya nodded.

Tsunade turned to the other two shinobi in the room, "Now I'll give you guys two choices. You can either have Tayuya live temporarily in one or both of your apartments, or you can choose to have her stay in a prison cell."

"You're letting us choose?" Naruto asks.

"Yes." Tsunade responds.

Anko and Naruto look at each other, then at Tayuya. She decides not to look at them, but inwardly hopes that she'll get to live in an apartment instead of a prison cell. But beggars can't be choosers, she realizes. Either way, she'll have a place to stay, and will be taken care of, compared to living in caves and having to live like a savage.

"Well?" Tsunade prompts, getting slightly impatient, "What's it going to be?"


	2. Chapter 2

After the door was unlocked, Tayuya stepped in and looked around.

"Nice place you got here." She commented, "A bit messy though."

The owner of the apartment looked at her, "Well, forgive me for not sprucing the place up for your arrival. If you don't like it, you can always live with Naruto or stay in a jail cell."

Tayuya shrugged, "I was just sayin'. No need to come at my throat for a comment."

Anko closed her door behind her and crossed her arms, looking Tayuya right in the eyes, "You're not very well-mannered, are you?"

Again, Tayuya shrugged, "Probably not, since a lot of people tell me that."

"Well if you're going to be living in my apartment, that will have to change as soon as possible." Anko starred daggers at her, "Got it?"

Tayuya was about to shrug her shoulders yet again, but figured that might push her over the edge and send her straight out of this apartment. Tayuya is indeed rude, but not stupid.

"Gotcha. Can I take a shower here? It's been a while."

"I guess, if you have anything that you can change into."

Tayuya had quite a bit of difficulty not to send a snappy, sarcastic reply, "No, you know these are the only clothes I have." She said.

Anko simply stared at her before huffing, "Just get in the shower. I'll give you some of my clothes until you can get some of your own."

The redhead nodded, "Thanks." Anko only grumbled and pointed toward the location of her bathroom. Tayuya walked in and closed the door behind her.

"She's not wearing any of my trench coats, though." Anko thought to herself as she headed to her closet.

A few minutes later, Tayuya had stepped out of the shower and found a towel to wrap around herself. She stepped out of the bathroom and was slightly startled to see Anko right there with crossed arms and an unfriendly look.

"Uh... What's wrong?" Tayuya mumbles, feeling a bit small under Anko's stare.

"...I've been doing some thinking, and I realized that your Curse Seal seems to have been bothering you less since Naruto and I agreed to help you. I mean, when we first met you, you were coughing up blood and had a hard time even moving. Now, your strolling around here as if nothing's wrong." Anko's glare hardened, "Why is that?"

"I've noticed that, too." Tayuya says, "I know it seems suspicious, but the pain has been slowly going away over time. Don't ask me why, or how. But I really was in serious pain back in the cave, I thought I was dying. Or maybe I still am, I don't know. I don't know what's wrong with this damn seal."

"You're right about that seeming suspicious." Anko says, "I'm warning you, if you give any more of a reason for me to believe that you're pulling some kind of stunt, I have every right to kill you where you stand. And I won't hesitate, either."

_"Geez, maybe I should live with Naruto."_ Tayuya thought, "I understand. Now... Can I get dressed? I'm getting kind of chilly."

Anko sent her one last leer before handing her a small pile of folded clothes, "Here. I hope you can fit into a D-cup."

Tayuya took the clothes, "I don't know, I haven't worn a properly fitting bra since I was fifteen." She walked in the bathroom and tried on the clothes.

A minute or two later, Tayuya walked out the bathroom, "I can tell you really like mesh stuff..." Her new outfit consisted of a mesh bodysuit, with skin-tight, knee-length leggings, a dark skirt, and a sleeveless zip-up blouse that matched the skirt. The top was unzipped a bit, showing a fair amount of cleavage, and her skirt exposed everything down past the middle of her thighs. Although her skin still had many bruises and old cut marks, her shower cleaned her up a bit, now free of any dirt spots. "And the bra fits perfect, thanks."

Anko looked her over and couldn't help but be hit with a wave of jealousy,_ "If she can fit those clothes, she can fit anything in my wardrobe. The girl is almost half my age, and she pretty much has the same body type as I do... Lucky bitch."_

"Well I'm glad they fit you. This doesn't mean you're welcome to everything in my closet though, this is just temporary."

Tayuya looked at herself in a nearby mirror, "I know, I know, I got it the first time you said it."

"Good. Now that you're all showered and dressed, we can go see Inoichi."

"Who's that?"

Anko sent a small smirk, "Just a good friend of mine."

* * *

Tayuya and Anko departed from the apartment and walked along Konoha's streets. Anko was ahead of Tayuya, leading her to the T&I complex.

"Hey, uh, Anko was it?" Tayuya says. Anko nods without looking back at her. "Where are we going, exactly?"

"We're going to the T&I complex of Konohagakure. We're going to get as much important information from you as we possibly can."

"But, can't I just tell you everything now? I mean, I'll gladly do it. I already said that I hate... him as much as you do. "

_"No, you have no idea."_ Anko thought, "The Hokage and I already told you, we have no reason to trust anything you say. We can do just fine without you having to say a word. Besides, with our technology and techniques, we can get information from you that you yourself might have forgotten over time."

"So, what, are you guys going to invade my mind or something?"

"Precisely."

Tayuya felt uncomfortable, "But... I already said that I've done some things that I'm not proud of when I was on my own... There's some stuff that I don't really want other people to know."

"I bet." Anko says, "But don't worry, only one person will get information from you, and all of your personal memories will be classified to him only, as long as it's irrelevant to what we're looking for."

_"But the idea of someone poking around in my mind irks the shit out of me."_ Tayuya complains in her head. "Oh."

Anko couldn't help but be curious. They walked in silence for a few more seconds until, "...Out of curiosity, on a scale from one to ten, how bad was the stuff that you had to do to survive?"

"...Fifteen."

Anko said nothing more.

A few minutes later, Tayuya and Anko entered the highly secured building that served as the Konoha Torture and Interrogation Force's headquarters. Tayuya watched as Anko entered different pass codes to enter each door she led her past. There were also quite a few guards securing the place, and it seemed to be pretty well-secured.

Soon, Anko opened another door and was brought into a steel-walled room with a single chair. Inside, was a blonde-haired man that sported a long ponytail.

Anko walked up to him, "Hello, Inoichi."

The man nodded, "Anko. What brings you here?"

Anko pointed at the redhead, "This is Tayuya. She supposedly served under Orochimaru around three years ago. We just picked her up today, and we need to see if there's any juicy information regarding Orochimaru lingering in that head of hers."

Inoichi nodded, "I see." He looked at her analytically, "I notice that you didn't bother keeping her constrained."

Anko shrugs, "She says that she's willing. Besides, she has chakra seals placed on her. She wont be able to pull anything slick, trust me."

"Okay." He said. He looked at Tayuya, "Now if you'll sit in the chair, please?"

Tayuya complied and sat in the chair that she just realized has shackles on them. Inoichi locked her wrists and ankles in them.

"This ain't gonna hurt, right?" Tayuya asks. Inoichi looks at her, then Anko.

"Well, it depends upon how willing you say you are. If you truly are willing, this will be completely painless. But if not..."

"No need to use any torture methods, Inoichi." Anko cut in, "...Unless, of course, she tries to be some kind of rebel, in which case, you can give her Hell."

Tayuya swallowed her abundant saliva, trying to mask the small amount of fear she was hit with.

"Alright then." Says Inoichi, "Just sit still and close your eyes."

Tayuya did as she was told, then felt a hand placed upon her forehead.

Anko leaned against one of the walls in the small room and watched as Inoichi searched through Tayuya's mind.

Suddenly, Inoichi flinched a bit.

"Problem?" Anko asks. She received no response. "Right, I forgot Inoichi blocks out everything when he does this." she mumbles.

Just as she finishes that thought, Inoichi released his hand from Tayuya's head. He opens his eyes, "She doesn't know much about Orochimaru that isn't already known. After all, she's only served to carry out tasks for him, not much else."

"I kinda figured that." Anko mumbles, "Why did you flinch earlier?"

"Because there were still a few mind traps placed in her mind by Orochimaru. Nothing serious, though."

"Ah." She says, "So is she telling the truth regarding her departure from Orochimaru's services?"

"She is." Inoichi responds, "She hasn't told a lie since you and Naruto met her."

Tayuya's immediate reaction was to blurt out "I told you!", but succeeded in holding that urge back.

"I see." Anko looked at her and hummed, "So there's nothing worth reporting to the Hokage either, huh?"

Inoichi shook his head, "No."

"Then I guess we're done here." Anko says, "Thanks anyway, Inoichi."

Just as Inoichi freed Tayuya from the shackles, the door to the room opens.

In it, walks in Squad Ten.

Tayuya spots a blonde that looks much like Inoichi and an overweight shinobi that reminded her of her former acquaintance, Jirobo.

But the third person, she remembers having altercations with a few years back.

"Dad!" The blonde girl says to Inoichi, "Have you heard the news?!"

Inoichi raises an eyebrow, "What news, Ino-chan?"

"Orochimaru has been reported dead!"

Inoichi's eyebrows raised in shock.

Tayuya felt chills go up her spine.

Anko could have sworn she felt her heart skip two or three beats.

"Orochimaru's... dead?" Inoichi repeated, "But how?"

"It seems that Sasuke Uchiha killed him." Shikamaru says, "ANBU forces found his hideout, and upon further investigation, they found his body covered in blood, dead."

"That's... Wow." Inoichi mumbles.

_"That kid... it can't be..."_ Tayuya thinks to herself.

Anko was silent. Stunned beyond belief, but her mind raced like a dozen race horses heading for the finish line.

Shikamaru then glimpses at Tayuya, looks away, then looks back at her.

"Wait." He mumbles, feeling way too much nostalgia emitting from her to simply regard her as a normal prisoner, "You look familiar."

Tayuya chose to keep her mouth shut.

"I remember her!" Choji exclaims, "She's that Sound girl that helped escort Sasuke to Orochimaru!"

Choji's words brought his memory to life, and his eyes went wide.

"You...! The one with the flute!" Shikamaru says.

"Ah, shit..." Tayuya cursed inwardly. She attempted to let her shoulders drop, only to find that she couldn't. She looked down and remembered who she was face to face with. Their shadows were connected.

"Didn't you kill her, Shikamaru?" Choji asks. Anko and Ino felt lost at this point.

"I did! Well, technically, Temari did. But still..." His eyes turned into a hard glare, "I'm sure you remember me."

Tayuya attempted to nod, only to be reminded of the jutsu she's caught in, "I do. How's it going?"

Shikamaru's leer intensified.

Inoichi held up a hand, "Shikamaru, there's no need to have your jutsu active, she wouldn't be here if she posed a serious threat." He said. The Jounin reluctantly agreed and released his Shadow Manipulation technique.

"I just scanned her memories, and I know you two fought not soon after Sasuke departed from Konoha. But Tayuya hasn't served under Orochimaru in roughly three years, and poses little to no threat to Konoha at all."

Shikamaru wanted to argue against that, but knew that Inoichi's words had to be true. His mind reading skills were presumably the best in Konoha. He looked at the redhead. Although his glare let up quite a bit, he couldn't help but to be skeptical.

"But... Three years ago, when we fought that day, a tree fell on top of you and crushed you. How can you still be alive?" He asks.

Tayuya shrugs, "Beats me. I thought I was dead, too."

Choji and Shikamaru exchanged looks.

"So... Are those other Sound-nin that were with you alive, too?" Choji asks.

"No. Well, I don't know, they could be." She answers honestly, "I haven't heard from them since that day I presumably died."

"...So let me get this straight." Ino says, "You used to serve under Orochimaru, and you helped my Sasuke escape from this village?"

Tayuya rose an eyebrow when she heard 'my Sasuke', but decided not to speak on it, "Well, yeah, I guess."

"I'LL KILL YOU!" Inoichi grabbed his daughter just in time before Ino got her hands on her. Choji then grabs hold of her and drags her out the room, futilely attempting to calm her down with his words.

Tayuya held her composure, but nevertheless sweatdropped, "...Was that his girlfriend or something?"

"She wishes..." Shikamaru mumbles. "Anyway, you're telling us that you no longer wish to serve under Orochimaru?"

"Well, I even if I did, I can't, considering how he's dead now." She says, "But yeah, even if he still was alive, I wouldn't want anything to do with him."

Shikamaru narrowed his eyes, "...It's hard for me to believe that someone can just turn over a new leaf like that. Especially given how you tried to kill me."

Tayuya rolled her eyes, an action she couldn't negate from happening, "Listen, it's not like I've ever liked or worshiped Orochimaru. Even when I worked for him, I hated him. I only did what he said simply because he'd kill me if I didn't. I was forced against my will, and now that he thought I died, and now especially since he's dead, I couldn't be fucking happier. So don't take our fight personally. Yes, I did try to kill you, and I did help to destroy The Leaf three years ago, but it was because it was an order. I don't personally wish you or anyone here dead, okay?"

Shikamaru nodded, seeing as she did have a point.

"I'm not saying we have to be friends, and I'm not really asking for forgiveness, but you don't need to think I'm an enemy anymore." She adds.

Shikamaru thinks to himself for a minute before shrugging, "Eh, I guess." He then puts his hands in his pockets and heads for the door, "I'd better check on Ino."

Anko, after being quiet all this time, follows after Shikamaru, "Come on, Tayuya. We gotta see the 'Kage."

* * *

Tayuya and Anko head onto Konoha's streets again, this time walking in silence.

That is, until Anko spoke up, "So you helped in the invasion of Konoha, huh?"

The question took the former Sound-nin off guard, "Um, yeah, I guess."

"..."

Tayuya noted Anko's lack of a response, "Why do you ask?"

Anko almost chose not to respond to that question as well, "Because that was something that you didn't tell me or Naruto when we first found you."

"Well... Is it really that important? I mean, I already said that I didn't have a choice in the matter."

"Yeah, I get that." Anko says, "But Naruto still doesn't know that you helped his best friend escape from Konoha."

"Ooh..." Tayuya mumbles, "That was his best friend, huh?"

Anko nods.

Tayuya scoffs in her head, _"Huh, well Sasuke seems like a shitty best friend, if you ask me."_

"Well, if you understand that only did what I did because I was forced to, I'm pretty sure he would, too."

"I don't know..." Anko says, "All I'm saying is that if he knew, he might not be so quick to defend you like he did earlier today."

Tayuya didn't have anything to say.


	3. Chapter 3

Anko and Tayuya entered the Hokage's office for the second time that day.

"Ah, Anko and Tayuya." She says, "What do you have to tell me?"

"She's legit." Anko says, "She wasn't lying about anything she said."

Tsunade looks at Tayuya and gives a small smile. She was in a surprisingly good mood today, despite hearing that her former teammate died recently, "Good. Any information about Orochimaru?"

"No. She hardly knows anything that we don't already know." Anko answers, "Isn't he dead anyway?"

"So you heard, huh?" Anko nodded, "Well it's still good to get any type of information on him, even if he is dead. One can never have too much intel."

Tsunade looks at Tayuya, "How's your Curse Seal?"

"A lot better." Says Tayuya, "I don't even feel it bothering me anymore."

Tsunade thought for a second, "...I think I know why it was bothering you earlier, and not now."

"Why?" The two other women in the room ask simultaneously.

"Because, a person's chakra level's spike when they engage in battle. So I think that while Orochimaru was fighting Sasuke, his chakra somehow connected with the effects of your Curse Seal, causing you severe pain. And now that he's dead, you no longer have that connection."

"Huh." Tayuya mumbles, "That does make sense, I guess."

"But wouldn't it bother Sasuke as well?" Anko says.

"Probably. He still managed to find a way to defeat him."

"Baa-chan!" Exclaimed a familiar voice after the door to the room burst open. "Sasuke killed Orochimaru?!"

"Yes, Naruto-kun."

Naruto's mouth curved into a full-blown smile just as Sakura follows in behind him, "Yes! I knew Sasuke wasn't just gonna sit by and let Orochimaru take what he wants!"

_"Well, I guess that Uchiha really did mean something to this kid, after all."_ Tayuya notes. She then glimpses at Sakura and the first thing that came to her attention was the pink hair.

"So where is he now? Probably on his way to Konoha, right?" Naruto asks.

Tsunade hated to knock down Naruto's happiness over the subject, but it had to be done, "No one knows where Sasuke is now, but I'm pretty sure he's not on his way to Konoha."

Naruto's smile slid into a frown, "Well, why not?"

"Because, Itachi is still alive..." Sakura says.

Naruto forgot about Sasuke's 'ambition'.

"Right, I forgot..."

Tsunade nods, "Yes, Itachi is still alive, and it seems that Sasuke will stop at nothing until he gets his revenge. And now that you both are here, I wish to talk about something I've been doing some thinking over," she says, "I want to start a mission."

Naruto and Sakura gave her their complete attention. Tsunade then looks at Tayuya and Anko.

"You two are dismissed. I'll talk to the both of you later."

Anko and Tayuya nod, and Naruto looks over at Tayuya, "Oh, hey, Tayuya! I didn't notice you there."

_"Idiot. Even though I was standing next to him the whole time."_ She thought, "...'Sup."

* * *

The two Curse Mark bearers exited the Hokage tower. Just as they stepped away from the building, they heard a low, grizzly type of noise.

Anko paused, "...What the hell was that?"

"My stomach." Tayuya answers, as if it were nothing.

"When was the last time you ate? You sounded like two grizzly bears getting intimate."

Tayuya looked up in thought, "Mon...Tues... I dunno, a few days ago."

Anko was never the most sympathetic of people. But she couldn't just let Tayuya starve.

"...You ever had dango before?"

* * *

Soon, dusk approached. Anko just stepped out of the shower, and exited the bathroom. Tayuya was sitting on the couch, in her (or rather, Anko's) underwear reading a book she found lying around. One with an orange cover.

"...This is smut." Tayuya states as Anko approaches her closet. "Really perverted. You read stuff like this?"

Anko shrugged, "Once in a while. The guy who wrote it insisted on giving me a free copy, so I figured why not."

"...'Rijaiya felt all the blood from his head go to his other head, as he watched Kano and Nurekai passionately making out. Their breasts looked magnificent, especially since Kona's breasts were squished up against Nurekai's.'" Tayuya recited, "...What the fuck. Only a perverted bastard can enjoy reading crap like this."

"I agree." Says Anko, "But aside from the ridiculous plots and sex parts that come up in the book, it's somewhat entertaining to read. Only sometimes though."

Tayuya shrugged and put the book down. Reading any more of that book might just make her sick.

She then looks at Anko reach up in her closet to receive something on the top shelf. Her hair was still wet, untied from her ponytail and clinging to her neck and shoulders. A towel was wrapped around her torso, hiding any of her intimate parts.

It was then that Tayuya saw it.

"...So you have it too, huh?"

"Have what?" Anko asks.

"The Curse Seal." Tayuya replies. "...You were branded... Just like me."

Anko said nothing.

Tayuya elaborated, "So I'm assuming that you worked under Orochimaru in the past, too."

"...Tayuya."

"What?"

"You're talking too much."

No words were spoken as Anko then headed to the bathroom with a few clothes to change in private.

* * *

**_*Later that__ night*_**

_She groaned as she was kicked to the floor._

_"Hah! She looks like she knows a thing or two on how to make a man feel good."_

_"I know she does! Just look at her. She was born to be a slut."_

_She painfully looked up to glare at them. The ropes tying her ankles and wrists together dug into her skin. She wanted to yell and threaten them, but the duct tape pasted onto her mouth prevented her from making any sort of comprehensive speech._

_"Look at her struggle. Like she thinks she's gonna get out of those ropes."_

_"I like a feisty girl. It makes it that much more fun when we break her in!"_

_She was then pulled up forcefully by her hair, onto her knees. The tape that was placed on her mouth was ripped off her face, almost taking her lips off with it._

_"Heh, and she has such a cute mouth."_

_"Fuck you! Get the fuck away from me!" She barked._

**_Smack._**

_She toppled over as she was struck. The left side of her face stung hotly._

_She was dragged back up to her knees by her hair again, more forcefully this time. "Watch your mouth, bitch. Now," He undid his fly, with his member poking out and slapping her in the face. "open up. A dirty mouth like yours needs to be used properly."_

_"Fuck y-!"_

_The blade was pressed against her throat firmly, drawing a small amount of blood, "No-no, we can't have you mouthing off again. If you know what's good for you, you'd do as the man says."_

_...She reluctantly complied._

_It was awful. He tasted horrible. The smell was unbearable._

_"Ahh, that's a good little slut." He sighs, "And bite it if you want. I can promise you that you won't live to see tomorrow if you do."_

_A tear rolled down her face. If it wasn't for the promise she made to herself, she would have swiped that blade against her throat herself._

_Soon, her hair was grabbed again, and she felt it moving in and out of her mouth without any movement of her head. It punched against the back of her throat painfully, and it took all she had not to throw up right then and there._

_He groaned, and found her throat and mouth being filled. When he ejected out of her mouth, she spit all of it out onto the floor, gagging and coughing from the abuse her throat got._

**_Smack._**

_She fell unto the ground again, and the same cheek that had just stopped stinging, stung even more now._

_"You were supposed to fucking swallow. A whore like you ought to know that."_

_She was still coughing and gagging._

_Then, without warning, her hair was yanked as she was thrown onto a nearby table. After grunting in pain, she heard a chuckle from behind her._

_"Now it's my turn. I hope you like it rough, bitch."_

_She went wide-eyed once she realized what that meant. She turned to look at him, "W-Wait, please, n-!" As she was bent over the table, her head was slammed against it._

_"Look at her! Trying to act like she doesn't want it." He laughed, "Now shut up, and take it..."_

_She cried out as she was penetrated._

_"Kami, she's tight like a virgin..." He then chuckles, "Which I know you couldn't possibly be one."_

_She was._

_The next thrust made her clench her teeth, to the point where she thought they might shatter under the pressure._

_And the next thrust made another tear slide gently down her cheek._

_Soon, she began getting harshly assaulted from behind._

_And there was nothing she could do to stop it. It was a pain like no other. She tried fighting against the ropes to free herself, but it was futile. She could only appreciate the fact that it was her body's response to get as wet as she was. It's not like she found anything erotic or arousing about the situation she was in, but she knew, if she wasn't wet, this would be a lot worse than it is._

_Once she felt her hair being pulled back, she tried to let out a loud scream, but couldn't, due to the air that escaped her lungs. Her neck felt as if she caught whiplash._

_Soon, he started breathing heavier, "Heh... I'm going to cum soon, you little slut. I hope you're as excited as I am for me to get you knocked up..."_

_Her heart paused, then raced._

_"NO! Please, God, no! Pull it out, pull it out!"_

_"Ugh, shit, here it comes...!"_

* * *

"NO!"

Tayuya jerked out of her sleep in a cold sweat. Thanks to the moonlight that shone through the window, she was able to see that she was still in Anko's apartment. Anko was still sleeping. She sighed and thanked Kami that it was just a dream. But she wondered how she could be this breathless from just a dream. Everything felt so real. Just like it usually does.

She shakily stood off the couch she had stained with her sweat, and headed into the bathroom, where she sat in a corner and cried.

It wasn't the first time she had a nightmare like that. She actually had worse ones than that, and she knew that it wouldn't be the last.

Tayuya didn't know how long she was in the bathroom, but she found herself dozing off. She got up and still saw that it was dark outside, so she laid back onto the couch, where she quietly cried herself back to sleep.

All the while, unknown to Tayuya, Anko was awake. She heard and watched everything.


End file.
